MiamiGX

My battery died last night and I had to have AAA jump me to get home.

I'm going to take advantage and upgrade to the best battery I can. To my knowledge that would be an Odyssey.
I would like to use this thread to put all the odyssey battery questions to bed once and for all. I have read many conflicting things.

So far from my research, I know of only two options we have for the battery size:
The best for a stock replacement would be the Odyssey Extreme 34R-PC1500T current price $295
You may or may not need the bottom spacer to make this battery fit.

Length 10.86 in
Width 6.77 in
Height (terminals included) 7.87 in
Height (container) 7.26 in
Weight 49.50 lbs

Pulse (5 second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 1500
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 850
HCA 1250
MCA 1050

If you want the biggest battery possible, that would be the Odyssey Extreme 31M-PC2150ST current price $439
You may need to extend the stock charging cables to be able to connect this battery.

Length 13.00 in
Width 6.80 in
Height (terminals included) 9.39 in
Height (container) 8.57 in
Weight 77.80 lbs

Pulse (5 second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 2150
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 1150
HCA 1545
MCA 1370

If you want the larger 31M battery you will also need a battery box to strap it down.

Options are:
1. Trail Gear Battery Box Kit, Single DieHard $49.75
2. Ruff Stuff Specialties Odyssey Single Battery Box $50
3. Rago Fabrication Group 31 Battery Box $180
4. There also may be battery tie down options that are used with longer J-hooks similar to the stock setup. But I haven't found any yet.

Lastly, if you get an AGM battery, you need a voltage booster to make your alternator put out more amps and charge the battery better.

The options I have seen so far are:
1. HKB Electronics Voltage Booster $40
2. HKB Electronics Adjustable Booster $150
3. ArcLightLEDs Triple State Voltage Booster $70
4. * $7.30
5. *Ford Diode $13
6. *O'Reilly Littlefuse 1Amp Mini Diode $4
*(Still need to research these methods more.)


Please feel free to add anything I missed. Can anyone confirm any of this? Or did I get anything wrong? Let me know.

SlickTRD

Northstar makes Toyota sized AGM batteries near equal to Odyssey. They are both owned by the same parent co - EnerSys. Northstar 24F will have more capacity over Odyssey 34R. Northstar 27F will have even more capacity than 24F but less than Odyssey 31M but will not need extension cables. 27F will need a bigger battery tray but you can easily find that.

MiamiGX

Do you know where we can buy Northstar? Autozone carries Odyssey.

Also, are the battery trays like the ones I linked above? Can you link to any?

SlickTRD

You can find Northstar branded X2 Power batteries at Batteries Plus Bulbs - https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/car-and-truck
27F battery tray -
I run a Northstar X2 Power 24F with an ARC Light voltage diode and it's been great. I didn't want to spend extra 45 on the battery tray for a 27F.

Jetwag03

I have had the odyssey in my Jeep for almost two years, has worked great. The reason I needed it was to have power for a refrigerator, if you don't run any accessories with the engine off it's seems like overkill and you should just get the standard OEM type battery. Also, one thing you should know is that you cannot use a normal charger for the Odyssey it requires a special charger that is around $200.The fancy charger will analyze the health and then if necessary discharges and recharge until it's back to normal. When mine finally needs a recharge I will be forced to buy the odyssey charger to bring it back to normal, which will be cheaper than buying a new battery. I hope this helps you with your decision.

MiamiGX

Thanks SlickTRD.

I have a batteriesplus near me. I have a stupid question. What is the battery tray for exactly? You put it at the bottom? Can I install and use the 27F today and order the tray for a later date?

SlickTRD

to distribute the weight more evenly. i believe stock battery is 45lbs and AGM 24F is about 58lbs. an AGM 27F is 67lbs and with all that increased weight you dont want the weight to crack the body panel - which has been reported before in the 5th gen 4runner forum. the 4th gen 4runner in V8 form uses a non-AGM 27F with 27F sized battery tray and they have reported switching to heavier AGM and no issues with cracking. so people figured out a proper battery tray can distribute the weight.

kode3

I like mine and the spacer is required.

MiamiGX

So update, I went to batteriesplus to order the 27F, but they did not have it in stock. The manager offered me the 27M, marine battery instead. Which is the same except the battery posts are not reversed. So I had to find a way to extend the battery cables temporarily. As you can see we made some rig and got it hooked up for now. I need to find a more permanent solution. Any suggestions on methods to extend the battery cables, or completely replace/upgrade them would be appreciated.

Thanks again for the recommendation SlickTRD.

MiamiGX

Forgot the photos.
Also, I did not get to replace the battery tray, I saw that it was a really flimsy piece of plastic. I can't believe that gives it any structural support.

Does anyone have suggestions for a better battery box/tray tie down solution?

nuclearn8

@MiamiGX what is the benefit of the marine battery? Seems like installation is compromised (looks sketchy and not ideal) from a durability and reliability standpoint so hopefully there is a major benefit that outweighs waiting for the one you wanted and that would allow for correct installation.

I was leaning towards an AGM battery in the spring, Odyssey specifically, but they seem like more trouble than they're worth (need a new tray and need to voltage booster to get it to charge properly), just gonna spend $190 and get one of the new Die Hard conventional batteries in a couple months. It has a 4 year warranty and that's all I keep my batteries anyway... no need to overthink it. KISS

kode3

I've used Odyssey's for almost 20 years, never had the need to charge them with a "voltage booster". And for the GX it's a direct fit with their riser you buy with the battery with no modification of the truck necessary.

MiamiGX

The reason I went for overkill is because I intend to add a sound system to the car that will require two separate amps (mids/highs & lows).

I knew that would cause a major strain on the electrical system. Usually when you add a system of enough watts you need to upgrade the battery and alternator or add a second battery even. I don't want to spend the money on the alternator upgrade just yet. All though I want to make a separate post on options for a high output alternator. But that will be for another day.

So long story short, I took advantage of my battery dying to put the biggest battery I can fit so I can buy myself time on the alternator upgrade or second battery install.

Besides the sound system I also have aux pod lights I will be installing, plus I installed HID headlights. I also have a 1500w inverter I want to install for running misc. things when I go camping. I'd like a portable fridge someday.

MiamiGX

Also I forgot to mention, there was no specific benefit to the Marine battery. Although I assume anything marine grade is made a little more corrosion resistant at least, so that's not a bad thing. But, the marine battery does have an extra set of posts. That will make installation of all the extras a bit easier and neater.

and yes, the install is a bit.. rigged to say the least. But I am hoping it is temporary. I want to upgrade the battery cables all together. Just as soon as I figure out how.
I'd like to install something with a thicker gauge like this:


But as I research it, the stock wiring harness looks like this:
Which is a lot more complicated for a battery hookup than I anticipated, and I cannot find a single post of anyone who has done this.

nuclearn8

Good luck. I have a much lower risk tolerance with modifying vehicles.... especially with regards to any electrical modifications.
Instead of a refrigerator I would invest in a technice cooler and some reusable technice packets... lasts a week easy when packed https://www.techniiceusa.com/ and you can use it outside the vehicle (home parties, tailgating etc... it's more flexible, hold more than a refrigerator and not going to leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere by draining the battery) not to mention exponentially cheaper.
Are you going to camp for longer than a week in a remote area?

Same for sound system... just isn't a necessity for me... I'd rather have a bluetooth rechargeable speaker system by the campfire and not have to worry about draining the vehicle battery... I am now officially old because loud music while driving makes me nuts. haha

again, good luck. I hope you find a way to do what you want reliably